Podcast 0053; Season 04, Episode 17; January 26, 2021 Autism encompasses social and physical disabilities. Traits become disabilities when they limit “normal” daily routines and life activities. My sensory sensitivities exist whether or not I interact with other people. I’m not going to cope well with bright light (including sunlight) or…
Category: Media
Media portrayals of autistics and autism, including books, articles, television, and movies.
I constantly stumble over the past in may daily life. A sound, an image, or even a smell might trigger a traumatic memory. The memories might be external, things that weren’t personal to me — national or global events that continue to bother me. I live in a comfortable, safe,…
Autism Awareness Day is April 2, and April is Autism Awareness Month. The day and month are a big deal for Autism Speaks and the Autism Society of America. Normally, these organizations receive a lot of media attention. In response, some autistic-led groups are usually asked for comment and some…
We closed on the sell of our house in Pennsylvania this week, so now our Texas reset is focused on touching up our new home and completing tasks locally. I have been sick (as has my wife) for the last two weeks. We’ve moved on from a basic cold to…
“Her Asperger’s is a superpower.” “His chronic illness brings clarity.” And so it goes…. The Shiny Aspie. The Dying Prophet. The Super Crips, here to save humanity. The last two weeks have featured a series of stories on these disabled advocates, who are not all disabilities advocates. And then we…
Halfway through NeuroTribes and it primarily serves to reinforce history I knew after reading so much over the last 12 years about autism, yet the books adds important details. Overall, the names largely missing from history (often women) are given a nod by Silberman in his history of the autism community, something…
Duke University historian Nancy MacLean is currently a trendy historian who spent 2017 touring and promoting her book Democracy in Chains. The book has some serious scholarship flaws, which have been addressed by Henry Farrell and Steven Teles on Vox, a website considered progressive on most issues. MacLean has made the stunning…
Television now includes a surprising number of autistic and possibly autistic characters. We’ve already had shows with autistics (The Bridge, Touched, Alphas, Elementary, Parenthood, and more). There seem to be more, now, or maybe that’s merely my perception. I am not impressed with this trend. As with the novel and…
I thought this new study was interesting because it reveals that the instruments (“tests”) used to evaluate individuals for autism differ in quality. Some work reasonably well, while others should either be revised or abandoned. The instruments tested were those administered by caregivers, not researchers or clinicians. That means these…
[2026 Note: I was proved wrong when the supporters of Donald Trump embraced anti-vax nonsense.] The following mixes and matches several quite different groups, confounding people that represent various political views — not a monolithic anti-government movement, but general skepticism: The Very Angry Tea Party By J.M. BERNSTEIN http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/the-very-angry-tea-party/ …